Sensitive knowledge on about 1,000 patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military hospitals was exposed in a safety measure breach, sparking identity theft concerns and an examination by the Army.

Names, Social shield numbers, birth dates and other info was released, hospital officials said Monday. The computer file that was breached did not include data such as medical records, or the diagnosis or prognosis for patients, they said.

The disclosure marked the latest in a series of breaches of government computer records.

Walter Reed officials declined to explain precisely how the data was compromised, pending an ongoing review by the hospital and the Army. They would only say that the computer file was found on a “non-government, non-secure computer network.”

The medical center learned of the breach on May 21 from an outside notes mining company, which officials did not identify. They said the company was working for another client, found the file and contacted Walter Reed.

The

hospital said it is working to inform all of the citizens named in the info file. Letters or e-mails were being sent out, beginning Monday. Officials declined to say how many patients were from Walter Reed and how many were from other military hospitals.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., said he wants to construct out from the Army about its exploration.

“It’s very troubling when private documents is inappropriately released,” Skelton said. “We must ensure that personal data is protected and prevent any future compromise of patient records.”

Walter Reed plans to offer free credit protective services to patients whose info was revealed.

The hospital plus has set up a hot line for society to signal to see whether their data was disclosed (1-877-854-8542, ext. 9).

The federal government has been stung by a rash of info breaches in recent years.

-At the Agriculture agency,…

Original post by Top Tech News